monarchists

The published note by Prince Semyon Semyonovich Abamelek-Lazarev is one example of the notes and petitions from 1905–1906 received from right-wing and Black Hundred organizations and individuals of like views, proposing a wide variety of measures to the emperor and government to suppress the revolutionary movement. S. S. Abamelek-Lazarev, a well-known entrepreneur, mine owner, and Russia’s largest landowner, was not politically savvy. However, he saw the approaching revolution as a direct threat to his holdings and capital, and therefore, the fear of losing everything compelled him to write a “political” note annually from 1905–1907. While the note from the summer of 1905 was distinguished by its length, verbosity, and overall calm tone, the note from August 1906, published here, is practically hysterical, with the prince demanding that rebels and pogromists be killed on the spot, tried by military courts, and exiled to Siberian penal servitude along with their families. The note demonstrates that S. S. Abamelek-Lazarev, having embraced and exploited the economic benefits and opportunities of the new post-reform capitalist order, rejected and failed to understand the need for political change in the social order.